Sexual Assault Hidden Badge Of Shame

[QueenPhina]

The feeling of "keeping the secret" was worse for me, personally. Struggled for years before opening up to loved ones about what happened to me. Then when I did, I chickened out and went about it all wrong, telling a half truth, half lie. I'll never forget the sense of empowerment I had when I finally exposed the TRUTH about everything.

Except sometimes people knowing and not being empathetic feels about the same :sorry:

 

[Lucycat]

The secret was awful. It was almost 40 years from when the abuse started that I finally let the secret out and it was very empowering. It was also quite frightening as I was no longer in control of my own story and others could tell it in their own way. However what I also learned for the first time ever was that there were others people who shared my story but I never knew.

But. The story is out to my family that I was abused. Not that I have CPTSD. They are just letters that would mean nothing to them. They understand i 'had a breakdown' but totally expect I am over it now. They don't even ask. And I don't tell.